Question about simple Hydrogen gas bombs.

[MonsterBengt]

When you create Hydrogen gas by mixing Hydrochloric acid with Aluminium, i know that the white gas only consists of less that 50% hydrogen gas. Now what is the exact figure of hydrogen gas in the gas? And how do you seperate the hydrogen from the rest? To make a hydrogen gas bomb as efficient as possible, since the ones we've been making is rather big with not 'sufficient' magnitude.

[Jet-Lee]

I've always used Liquid Plumr and aluminum foil and been content with that. I don't know crap about the chemicals involved, but it does go boom.

[Steel]

Im no chem major, but you can figure it out by doing the chamistry of hydrocholric acid with aluminum. HCl and Al..

But what's cooler than hydrogen bombs could ever be is THERMITE!

Yes. 2 parts aluminum powder with 1 part iron oxide (rust) when mixed together and lit wit magnesium, holy shit. Molten metal at VERY high temps. I.e. melt thorugh engine block temps.

[gouldie1903]

Originally Posted by Steel

Yes. 2 parts aluminum powder with 1 part iron oxide (rust) when mixed together and lit wit magnesium, holy shit. Molten metal at VERY high temps. I.e. melt thorugh engine block temps.

it may be a bad thing that i now know this

[Steel]

Be careful with that shit. Once you light it, there is NO WAY to put it out. I mean NO WAY. If you try to throw water on it, the water will jsut instantly explode into steam, possibly causing injury. Not that water would do much with four thousand degree (yes, 4000) heat. Actaully, i just read that if you light it underwater (it wil ight underwater.. cool huh?) that the molten iron will extract oxygen from the water producing hydrogen gas.. which in turn will burn when exposed to free oxygen.
You can't smother it either, because its self oxygenating. So. Be forewarned, once you light that magnesium fuse, that's the point of no return. Do not try this at home. disclaimer disclaimer. i hold no responsibility for anything. Do at your own risk. allow 6-8 weeks for delivery. Sorry no COD's.

[beef_bourito]

Originally Posted by Steel

If you try to throw water on it, the water will jsut instantly explode into steam, possibly causing injury.

If you throw water on it it'll spatter (kinda like oil in a frying pan) and will throw thermite (i think it reacts at about 4000 degrees or something close to that) all over people. having molten iron and aluminum on people isn't fun.

Originally Posted by Steel

Actaully, i just read that if you light it underwater (it wil ight underwater.. cool huh?) that the molten iron will extract oxygen from the water producing hydrogen gas.. which in turn will burn when exposed to free oxygen.

I don't really see how this would happen, i've never heard of that (and i've looked into thermite quite alot) could you find me a website that will explain it. i simply don't see any way for this to happen.

Originally Posted by Steel

You can't smother it either, because its self oxygenating.

Actually no, it's not self oxygenating. the reaction doesn't use oxygen from anywhere but the iron oxide. it's a single displacement reaction where it passed oxygen from the iron (III) oxide to the Aluminum

But seriously, you shouldn't try this at home at all. you should have someone who'd done it before and/or an emergency team on the ready for any potential mishaps.

Accidents can happen from something as simple as a drop of water very close to the resction, the reaction comes into contact with the drop of water and spatters all over the onlookers, not fun (and before you tell me that wouldn't work, my high school chemistry teacher saw it happen with just a few drops of water).

other than that, thermite is a very cool reaction and can melt through cool stuff like engine blocks.

Anyways, back to the original topic. if you have pure hydrochloric acid, or hydrochloric acid diluted with water or alcohol, the reaction willgo from hydrochloric acid and aluminum and produce hydrogen gas and aluminum chloride. the gas that comes off is pure hydrogen but it should be colorless and odorless.

if you don't want to do the hydrochloric acid experiment (i'm wondering how you got a hold of some) then you can do electrolysis. get some water, then 2 testtubes filled with water (and no air) upside down, put a positive electrode in one and a negative electrode in the other. you'll need some salt in the water to conduct electricity. once you run current through the system you'll get bubbles coming off of the electrodes, those are hydrogen and oxygen gas. It'll be bubbling hydrogen gas from the negative electrode and oxygen gas from the positive electrode. i think you'll need around 3 volts to get it to start but the more current you run through it the quicker it'll happen.

[Steel]

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

If you throw water on it it'll spatter (kinda like oil in a frying pan) and will throw thermite (i think it reacts at about 4000 degrees or something close to that) all over people. having molten iron and aluminum on people isn't fun.

Well yeah, it'll spatter because the water explodes into steam. Sending molted iron everywhere. And steam. Not good.

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

I don't really see how this would happen, i've never heard of that (and i've looked into thermite quite alot) could you find me a website that will explain it. i simply don't see any way for this to happen.

see bottom

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

Actually no, it's not self oxygenating. the reaction doesn't use oxygen from anywhere but the iron oxide. it's a single displacement reaction where it passed oxygen from the iron (III) oxide to the Aluminum

uh yeah.. that's what i said, it gets the oxygen from itself, not from the outside. Which is why you cant smother it, like one could for a 'normal' fire drawing oxygen from the air.

Originally Posted by beef_bourito

But seriously, you shouldn't try this at home at all. you should have someone who'd done it before and/or an emergency team on the ready for any potential mishaps.

Accidents can happen from something as simple as a drop of water very close to the resction, the reaction comes into contact with the drop of water and spatters all over the onlookers, not fun (and before you tell me that wouldn't work, my high school chemistry teacher saw it happen with just a few drops of water).

life is full of risks


FROM THE ALLMIGHTY WIKI! (the most convient source i could find at this hour)
"Thermite contains its own supply of oxygen and does not require any external source of air. Consequently, it cannot be smothered and may ignite in any environment, given sufficient initial heat. It will burn well while wet and cannot be extinguished with water. Small amounts of water will boil before reaching the reaction. If thermite is ignited underwater, the molten iron produced will extract oxygen from water and generate hydrogen gas in a single-replacement reaction. This gas may, in turn, burn by combining with oxygen in the air"


I don't see why you COULDN'T ignite it underwater. I just would highly recommend against attempting that.

[beef_bourito]

i wasn't saying you can't light it underwater, i was wondering about the oxygen extracting. but what does it do with the oxygen, does it give it to the aluminum and leave iron oxide and making it a combustion reactiong? if you could find something that explains it in more detail that'd be great.

[Steel]

If i were to make an educated guess, i think that the oxygen in the iron would go to the aluminum and the heat produced by the reaction would break the bonds between the hydrogen and oxygen, and the iron would that that. But is oxygenation iron an endothermic reaction?

Anyway, im having a kinda tough time coming by nitty gritty specific information on the stuff on the web. Time to go to the library.